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One Free World International, Federation for a Democratic China & Uyghur Canadian Society Call for International Support Following Human Rights Violations Against Uyghurs

PRWeb, 11 July 2013

One Free World International, in association with Federation for a Democratic China, Canada and Uyghur Canadian Society, is calling for an independent investigation into human rights violations that have recently rocked the Uyghur people in East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region –XUAR).

One Free World International, in association with Federation for a Democratic China, Canada and Uyghur Canadian Society, is calling for an independent investigation into human rights violations that have recently rocked the Uyghur people in East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region –XUAR).

According to the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), reports have emerged of arbitrary detentions, harsh sentencing, extra-judicial killings and curbs on the freedom of the press as the authorities try to manipulate the narrative of what has been happening in East Turkestan. These human rights violations have principally happened in predominantly-Uyghur areas at Maralbeshi County (Bucha in Mandarin), Lukchun, Urumchi and Hotan.

In their report titled “Pre-5 July 2013 Anniversary and Ramadan Crackdowns: Lukchun, Hotan and Urumchi” (http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/wp-content/uploads/WUC-Report-on-Lukchun-Hotan-and-Urumchi-Incidents.pdf), WUC has documented, based on reports by both media and the Chinese authorities, that a conservative number of 102 people have died, possibly rising to 137, and more than 100 arrests and detentions since March 2013. However, the true number of deaths and detentions are potentially much higher, according to information that the WUC has received from the ground.

“I am deeply concerned that further human rights violations will happen,” says Kayum Masimov, President of the Uyghur Canadian Society. “In years gone by, Uyghurs have been subjected to severe restrictions upon their freedoms. Women have been forced, often physically, to unveil, refused entry to mosques and coerced into renouncing their faith in order to obtain social security and access to medical treatment. Communication blackouts are a common occurrence to quell open discussion of human rights violations, and many people have been harassed, arrested and imprisoned for doing so, and extrajudicial killings have also happened to those who have not complied, including women and children.”

Masimov says that without the support of the international community, these incidents will continue to recur with impunity. “I am deeply disappointed with the lack of attention from Canadian and international media towards the deteriorating situations of Uyghurs in Eastern Turkistan.”
Human rights leader Majed El Shafie, President of One Free World International, says that the time to act is now. “The Chinese government must understand that respecting minority rights and religious rights within China is the foundation for true democracy. Without it, they won’t be able to take their place on the international stage.”

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10917322.htm